I had "really" climbed Mauna Kea on Hawaii on the 21st, so I accepted the drive up summit of Haleakala as a reward for all the 65ish peaks that i never could have driven to. Besides I went up for the sunrise, so had an alpine start and put up with horrendous winds waiting to see the sunrise. After Mauna Kea and numerous waterfall hikes i had no desire for any additional hiking on Haleakala. Maybe if i get to go there again...

Drove up to the visitor center at 9740' just in time to see the sun coming up over the ocean; it was comfortably cool with no wind! Last time I was there, the sunrise was a dull bright spot becoming a slightly less dull bright spot (obscured by clouds), so this time was much better! We hiked down the Sliding Sands trail and out via the Halemau'u Trail to the Halemau'u TH at 7990' (~11.5 miles + lava tube excursion in just under 6 hours). We bumped into someone who showed us the entrance to the underground lava tube near the Holua cabin/campsite, and luckily we had a headlamp. Doing the ~1/4 mile lava tube was the highlight of the day among many highlights! We had arranged for a local friend to pick us up, but a German visitor who did the lava tube and hiked out with us was kind enough to drive us back to the top, when we actually went to the true summit.

Drove to the summit and did a down-climb of Haleakala. Spent one night at the Paliku cabin and descended from there down the Kaupo Trail. ~9k' descent over 18mi. Dropped a shuttle car at the lower trailhead. Crux is actually finding/driving to the lower trailhead on bad roads.

Drove to the top due to time constraints. It was a gorgeous day. Made several stops along the way to see the sights. Loved the way the clouds rolled into the crater. We were able to see Mauna Kea. It was a very very clear day.

Had to exit the car to stumble the last 100 feet to the little building at the top. Wore my Goretex windbreaker and muttered insanely about "basecamp" throughout, narrowly escaped men in little white coats.

Windy ocean view drive up to observatory/lookout. Hiked the Sliding Sands Trail down to the small crater Pu'u 'Ula'ula then jogged back up in half the time. This is a good altitude conditioning at 10,000 feet no matter how slow/fast you are. This trail might look like it belongs on the planet Mars hiking up Mons Olympus!

I spent a couple of days roaming around Haleakala. I drove the Hana Highway to the Kipahulu coast area and saw the awesome waterfall, and took a dip in Oheo Gulch. I then drove to the the top to see a great sunset. The next day I went back and did parts of the sliding sands trail, which is great. What an amazing place!

My bf and I left my parents at the top while we went for a long trail run down into the crater and across to another trailhead where they were supposed to pick us up. They wanted to hike down the crater a little ways, so we forewarned them about how easy going down would be and not to underestimate having to hike back up the trail with the altitude. Well, over eight hours later and an hour overdue, we got worried and started walking back up the road to the top. Eventually, we found them, but long story short, guess what happened?

A friend and I drove to the top, took some photos and hiked around a little bit. Even high elevations in Hawaii can be harsh; the wind was some of the most intense I have experienced. It's a whole other world compared to the beach. This was the first time I had ever been at sea level and over 10,000ft in one day.